In order to expose the staff of the university to road safety tips, the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, recently played host to a team of Federal Road Safety Corp officials who were on hand to enlighten the members of the university community on the need to adhere strictly to acceptable road-use standards to minimize mistakes that could lead to road accidents.
The event was in commemoration of the one year anniversary of the death of two staff of the university, Professor Robert Nneli and Mr. Daniel Nwangbo in a fatal road accident along Abakaliki – Enugu Expressway in April 2017.


Speaking at the event, the Federal Road Safety Corps Commander, Ebonyi State Sector Command,Mrs. Stella Adaoha Uchegbu, harped on the importance of attending driving school and obtaining driver’s license from the appropriate authorities and the use of seat belt in reducing the gravity of road mishaps, urging staff to always ensure they were properly trained and belted up before driving. She maintained that both drivers and passengers sitting at the front and back seats of a vehicle should always use seat belts because of its life-saving benefits in time of accidents and cautioned against driving without driving license.
She further highlighted some road mix that predisposes individuals to car crashes. She pointed out that use of cell phones while driving, over speeding, carrying of children below the age of 12 on the front seat of vehicles, use of worn out and expired tyres, non adherence to traffic rules and regulations and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs would increase the chances of fatality if there was a crash.
The Corps commander stressed that driving is a multi-tasking activity, advising staff to avoid anything that could be a distraction while driving. And further warned against allowing children of below 12 years to sit or stand in the front seat of vehicles but to always keep them well strapped in the back seat. She also cautioned motor cyclists against riding without helmets, adding that if properly used it could reduce head injuries if crash occurs.


“…Parents should ensure that their children who are up to 18 years undergo driving school before they are allowed to drive. Children below 12 years should not be allowed to sit in the front seat while babies must be well-strapped and put on the back seat”, she advised.
Saying that accidents were inevitable, the Corps Commander also noted that people have the power to minimize its impact if they pay attention to road safety rules, pleading with the University authorities to ensure continuous training of their drivers to reduce road mortality. She also appealed to the Vice-Chancellor to ensure the university registers with them for the Road Transport Standardization Scheme which would enable the Corps to train the drivers of the institution.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba had noted that the university authorities would be part of the Road Transport Standardization Scheme in order to ensure that all drivers of the institution were continuously trained to reduce accidents among its fleet. He bemoaned the loss of two staff of the university due to road accidents, and tasked the staff to always abide by road safety rules to avoid regrets that could stem from avoidable crashes.